for research and preservation of ceramic surfaces

E-News Summer 2014

Here’s What’s Below(Our apologies for the quick links to each story being currently out of commission. Click on the image or ‘Read More’ link (below) to view all of the Summer E-News postings.)Hartford Faience RevealedWoolenius & Moravian MantelsJeremiah Black HouseCrescent Tiles in St. PetersburgStarchild’s Custom CeramicsDeirdre Lee’s Urban JungleMUSIC to our ears!

Woolenius Mantel in BerkeleyWoolenius Tile Co. was founded in 1927 as the Elsenius Tile and Mantel Co. by Charles Elsenius, a tile setter and native of Illinois, who set up shop in Berkeley making tiles. Familiar with the tiles of Batchelder, Claycraft, Muresque and California Art Tile, among others, Charles Elsenius reinterpreted their designs and created many of his own.

A search of Batchelder, Claycraft, Calco, Malibu Potteries, Muresque and Woolenius materials turned up nothing! Here was a tile mystery that needed some fresh eyes and in depth investigation.

Appreciating the rarity of the installation, Kim opted to have the tiles carefully extracted; she donated them to a local museum where research got underway...

According to recent research by Robin Reed, Crescent Tile Company was founded by Frank Estes in 1910 to produce “Spanish Mosaic Tile,” which today is commonly referred to as “cement” tile. His “shed,” as the local paper called it, was located at the corner of Seventh Ave. and 2nd St. South in St. Petersburg, where the operation continued for many decades.

Unlike clay tiles that require firing in a kiln, Spanish Mosaic Tiles are composed of finely ground concrete, pigmented to achieve the desired color, and hydraulically pressed in molds to 30,000 pounds of pressure. Inexpensive to produce, the color and design possibilities are endless. Estes sold the business in 1922 to Walter Bickley, an entrepreneur from Chester, Pennsylvania who with the help of his two sons enlarged the facility, added a showroom for imported tiles from several countries in Europe and U.S. tiles as well, and began setting the tiles sold. By the mid-1920s the company had 40 employees and was doing well.As noted in the local newspaper on June 19, 1927, E. L. Marshall, a ceramic engineer from Ohio State University, was producing “ornamental tiles in Mayan and Aztec patterns” at the same address as Crescent Tile Company. Named the “Crescent Clay Craft Tile Company” with its own showroom and production area, one can readily conclude judging from the exotic nature of his product line, that Marshall was in fact an employee of Crescent Tile hired because of his earlier experience working in California at Batchelder Tile and Claycraft Potteries, both of which offered decorative tiles featuring pre-Columbian designs. Interestingly, each of Mr. Marshall’s tiles removed from the Cromwell residence is over one inch thick and much heavier than a ceramic tile. From all indications it appears that the Crescent “Mayan” tiles are made of cement!Special thanks to Robin Reed of the St. Petersburg Museum of History for her devotion to research, digging through the museum’s archives in search of Crescent tile. And to Bill Buyok, Avente Tile in Los Angeles, for his knowledge and helpful perspective on cement tiles.

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Starchild’s Custom Ceramic Surfaces

Ceramic artist Rosie Starchild with over 20 years experience working in tile potteries in the Greater Bay Area found herself challenged when commissioned by her friend, Sharon Matzinger, to create signage for the exterior of Sharon’s astrological practice in Calistoga. For Rosie the scale of the project was daunting for her modest-sized studio in Cobb. Although she was an experienced carver, the techniques and equipment she was used to seemed inappropriate for this job. She opted to use styrofoam for modeling, cutting out shapes with a serrated knife and then “carving” with a piece of sandpaper wrapped around her finger. This process allowed her to prepare and finish all the pieces prior to production.

“I took many pictures during the whole process... to share, and so I could remember what I did! “For now I'll share a picture of the installed signs.”Rosie Starchild

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